Digital art images of Vincent van Gogh’s iconic masterpieces will take the spotlight at Zona Rosa beginning this spring.
The aesthetically refined digital art exhibition, dubbed Lighthouse Immersive Van Gogh, was designed by Italian film producer Massimiliano Siccardi. Uniquely, Immersive Van Gogh “invites audiences to step inside” van Gogh’s works, “evoking his highly emotional and chaotic inner consciousness through art, light, music, movement and imagination.”
Many of the Post-Impressionist’s works of art will be projected onto the walls and floors of the Grove Building and thus illuminate over 14,000 square-feet. Classical music by the Italian multimedia composer Luca Longobardi has been injected to enhance the authentic personal experience.
The Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit is set to open on Thursday, April 21 and run through Monday, July 4.
Although the exhibition originally had a firm date to open in December and postponed to February, which was also delayed, the producers say with a high level of certainly that the exhibition will be open in April.
“We sincerely apologize to our Kansas City patrons for the delay,” said Corey Ross, producer of Immersive Van Gogh. “When we announced that we were coming to Kansas City, we had already investigated several venue options which, for one reason or another, ended up not being available or not allowing us to present Immersive Van Gogh in a manner befitting our standards.”
“Happily, we have found an ideal venue that will allow us to bring this world-class attraction to Kansas City, and it is our intent to bring multiple productions to this venue in the future as we become a landmark on the Kansas City cultural scene,” he added.
The design team declares they have uniquely designed their surging vision for Immersive Van Gogh to fit the various public structures, hosting the digital art exhibit.
“We absolutely regret the delay,” added co-producer Svetlana Dvoretsky. “The good news is that we have a solid plan in place and will definitely open in April. We promise our guests a spectacular show, one that has welcomed millions of delighted fans over the past year in more than a dozen cities. The venue also will feature magnificent additional elements from our creative director, David Korins, best known for his work on the musicals Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen. These installations will give our patrons a richer understanding of the genius of Vincent van Gogh.”
Instead of requiring ticketholders to initiate contact, Lighthouse Immersive will be contacting all ticketholders who purchased a set of tickets to an earlier date than April 21, via email to retrieve a new set of tickets.
Tickets to Immersive Van Gogh start at $39.99. Children 16 or younger can get in for $24.99.
Post-Impressionism
Post-Impressionism was coined in the 20th century by Roger Eliot Fry, an English painter and art critic, and has been characterized as a style to use art as a vehicle for emotions and dreams. Post-impressionists include, Paul Gauguin, Paul Cezanne, Georges Seurat, and van Gogh.
Vincent van Gogh grew up in Netherlands, the eldest son of Anna Cornelia Carbentus and pastor Theodorus Van Gogh. Prior to studying painting, van Gogh attempted to follow in his father’s footsteps, but was unsuccessful in becoming a pastor or evangelist preacher in Belgium. At age 33, van Gogh traveled to Paris where his brother, Theo, worked as an art dealer. It was there that van Gogh rubbed shoulders with several Impressionists and worked with French painter Paul Signac.
After spending two years in Paris, van Gogh moved south to Arles, where he attempted to create a new artistic community. While his vision never materialized, van Gogh did convince French Post-Impressionist Paul Gauguin to work with him in Arles. But their time working together was short lived.
During a psychotic episode, van Gogh attempted to kill Gauguin and cut off his own left ear. He gave his removed ear to a prostitute as a Christmas present, because she good-humoredly requested it. While at Saint-Remy being treated for a mental illness, van Gogh created his masterpiece, The Starry Night, which features cypress trees and a stunning, swirling sky.
Van Gogh died by suicide at the age of 37, leaving behind countless masterpieces.